Hypertext Webster Gateway: "poignant"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Poignant \Poign"ant\, a. [F., p. pr. of poindre to sting, fr. L.
pungere to prick, sting. See {Pungent}.]
1. Pricking; piercing; sharp; pungent. ``His poignant
spear.'' --Spenser. ``Poynaunt sauce.'' --Chaucer.
2. Fig.: Pointed; keen; satirical.
His wit . . . became more lively and poignant. --Sir
W. Scott.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
poignant
adj 1: arousing affect; "the homecoming of the released hostages
was an affecting scene"; "poignant grief cannot endure
forever"; "his gratitude was simple and touching"
[syn: {affecting}, {touching}]
2: keenly distressing to the mind or feelings; "poignant
anxiety"
Additional Hypertext Webster Gateway Lookup
Gateway by dict@stokkie.net
stock only wrote the gateway and does not have any control over the contents;
see the Webster Gateway FAQ,
and also the Back-end/database links and credits.